"Waiting times are too long"

I was referred for a colorectal examination by my GP in March 2015 and was asked to provide three dates to the DART / DRSS when I would be available. This information was duly given, I think I was asked if I wanted to be seen at the Torbay hospital. As this is the closest I thought this would be the best for me. However, eight months later I am still waiting to be seen and had I known I could have opted for other hospitals I would have done so as Torbay is so busy. My appointment for October was cancelled, I am now waiting to be seen in two weeks.

8 months is a long time to wait for an initial examination on which a diagnosis can be based. I feel that it is the people who are doing the bookings who are not dealing with people in a systematic way. It feels as if people with more recent referrals are dealt with straight away whilst people who have been waiting for a while a forgotten and overlooked.

Procedures like the one I am waiting could potentially be checking for bowel cancer, if this is the case waiting for eight months surely cannot be right.